What is the difference between a seesaw and a teeter totter

I think which you use depends where you are in the US. See a translation. Highly-rated answerer. They are exactly the same thing. I have heard older people use seesaw more. But my husband is from the east coast and says seesaw and I am from the Midwest and say teeter-totter. But they mean the same thing. A teeter-totter has two seats or more on opposite ends of a board, which is attached to a fulcrum in the middle. That way, kids can bounce back and forth together.

Teeter totters and seesaws can be designed in a wide variety of ways to look fun and flashy for the kids. Some look like the wings of an airplane. Others look like, well, a saw.

Both rely on the same overall physics concept of torque. Torque describes rotating force. If you balance a plank or other flat object on a central point, push on the end of the plank. The further to the end of the plank you push, the more energy you apply to the other side. If you push close to the middle, you will hardly see any movement take place.

The further out you go, the more movement. Teeter totters use this principle to generate fun with two kids on either end. When Child A sits on an end and pushes with their feet against the ground, it causes the other end of the board to move in an equal and opposite direction. This sends Child B at the other end down towards the ground. Child B reaches the ground, while Child A heads up high but still in his or her seat.

Child B pushes on the ground, which sends them back up into the air and Child A back down again. Since we just talked about both teeter-totters and seesaws, it might make sense to clear this up now. For the most part, these two terms are synonyms and describe the same backyard toy. After all, the same overall concept of torque is applied to both.

Usually, the terms are interchangeable and only vary depending on where you are in the world. It is like asking if something is:. While true that teeter-totter and seesaw are essentially interchangeable at this point, it is important to note that they initially had a couple of small differences. Their names describe what those differences originally were. While utilizing the same principles, the fulcrum attachment in the middle is rounded off.

This means that for teeter-totters, movement can also be side to side as well as up and down. The movement is also not extremely fast or high off the ground, making them ideal for toddlers. Also, since horizontal movement is free form, multiple seats in a circle are often added to teeter-totters. Seesaws, on the other hand, are a bit more basic. There is no horizontal movement with a seesaw, only up and down. The concept here is a bit older than a teeter-totter, which explains its simplicity.

However, what it lacks in design, it makes up for in exhilaration. Seesaws are typically much larger than teeter-totters. If using Seesaw for Schools, students tap 'Sign In with Google' or type in their school email and password to sign in. The core Seesaw service is free for teachers, families, and students.

We are committed to meaningfully engage students in their learning and having a free version of Seesaw is one of the ways we do that.

In January , Seesaw released the app to the public. Note:We have to note here that a seesaw is a case of the first class lever. The fulcrum can be placed anywhere in between the effort and the resistance in a first class lever.

Crowbars, shears and pliers are also a good example of this class of levers. Playing on levers probably predates these chants, but the name seesaw made it to the playground by Kids may have been pretending to be sawyers, chanting along as they rocked up-and-down. Is it seesaw or teeter totter? Asked by: Stone Krajcik. Why is it called seesaw? Is seesaw a toy? Do seesaws still exist? Who created the teeter-totter? When one child squats on the ground, the other is raised in the air.

Then the child who is squatting kicks with his or her legs so that their positions are reversed. Seesaws can be made out of many different materials. Traditionally, they were made out of wood, but they may also be made of metal or plastic. This term may also refer to the action of playing on a seesaw. Finally, it may also refer to a type of swing that operates in a similar fashion. Teeter totter: This is the second most common word for the same playground toy.

The term teeter totters is likely derived from the Nordic word tittermatorter. However, seesaw can also refer to this type of swing, too. Tilting board: In a small portion of New England in the United States, the seesaw is also known as the tilting board.